Early detection and treatment for breast cancer starts with screenings

10/4/2022

Breast cancer remains a top risk for women, making up 30% of all new female cancer cases in the U.S. annually. Fortunately, a screening mammogram can help detect breast cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages. Lower Keys Medical Center is encouraging women to schedule their screening now, because when breast cancer is detected early, life-saving treatment can begin right away.

“The best chance for survival of any cancer is early diagnosis and treatment,” said Stanley Santiago, M.D., MBA, FACOG, of Keys Medical Group Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Mammograms can detect cancer before any symptoms, such as a lump, or spreading of the disease occurs, which can increase the likelihood of recovery.”

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Lower Keys Medical Center’s Women’s Imaging Center is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., with expanded hours on October 7th, 12th, and 18th, from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Saturday, October 22, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. A discounted self-pay rate is available through the month of October. Call (305) 294-5535, extension 3308, for more information. A physician’s order is required.

Early Detection Saves Lives
Nearly all breast cancers can be treated successfully if found early. The most effective way to detect breast cancer at an early, treatable stage is to have yearly mammograms. Since mammography became widely used in the 1980s, the U.S. breast cancer death rate in women has dropped 43 percent.

The American College of Radiology (ACR) and Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) recommend annual mammograms start at age 40 for women of average risk. Different guidelines apply to women at higher risk.

African Americans and those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent should have a risk assessment at age 30 to see if a screening earlier than age 40 is needed. Women who were previously diagnosed with breast cancer are recommended to be screened with magnetic resonance imaging, an MRI.

Lower Keys Medical Center’s mammography service at the Women’s Imaging Center is accredited by the American College of Radiology.

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